Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

I lost this past weigh-in. Not much... but moving in the downward is wonderful. When I went into the hospital to get checked out (I have a fever & strep-very bad) the doctor didn't believe I weighed as much as I did... He said I looked a lot smaller then what I weighed. That was a nice feeling. I told him I'm doing weight watchers and that I'm trying to lose weight. He was very encouraging. I'm glad I "look" smaller. I was tempted to feel discouraged yesterday by the small result but I'm learning... I'm making better choices. I'm exercising. I'm aware of what I put in my mouth and yet I still enjoy life. I had cheesecake on my birthday yesterday. I feel like I'm losing inches more than I am weight. My clothes are loose and I've gone down two sizes. And more importantly, I'm taking care of my health and setting a good example for my kids. I have more energy and I feel better! So yay!

This pie totally rocks! The flavor is fresh and amazing. At first I thought I didn't like it with the lemon zest but I didn't let it sit in the fridge long enough. I think this dish is best made the night before an occasion and once chilled the zest gives it an extra pah-pow. Creamy Lemon Pie - 4 points per serving. WeightWatchers.Com Ingredients 6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers 2 Tbsp butter 11 oz fat-free sweetened condensed milk 2 large egg(s) 1/2 cup(s) fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp lemon zest Instructions Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Or place crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Place crumbs in a small bowl. Melt butter on stove top or in microwave and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; place crust in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling. In a...

It feels good to be "back on track" writing down what I'm consuming and being more mindful of points. I LOVE this lifestyle. I don't feel guilty when I'm eating something sweet and yet I am more conscious of what I really want. Is that worth THAT amount of points. Somethings are and somethings aren't. One thing that can be challenging is trying to be flexible. Yesterday I was right on track and had planned a nice fish dinner (in my head)... but when I had to unexpectedly take a child to the doctors it ended up being McDonalds on the menu. I didn't despair. I chose things in my points range and survived. I could have been tempted to despair and think, "Oh well, might as well get the combo... and maybe a hot fudge sundae too.) BUT I didn't. I chose a value fry and a sandwich.... and was satisfied. Learning how to deal with my emotions and relationship with food has been challenging but my goal is slow persistence and perseverance not an intense but ...

Okay, so I weighed in on Saturday and I lost 2.6 pounds. yay. Back on track. Enjoying eating healthier in general and making different choices. The topic was on portions and the meeting was really encouraging. I don't have any exercise clothes so I bought myself a couple tops today that were on clearance ($5 each!) Yay! While I was at it I noticed I'm definitely a size or 2 smaller (depending on what I tried). I found a dress to wear to David and Courtney's wedding... it looks good now so I'm imagining how much even better it will look by the wedding in April.

When out of control the best thing to avoid being around is cupcakes. My emotions ran away for the past two weeks. Between my brother's wedding, Valentine's Day, and Samuel's birthday.... and all the emotions of the events... well, let's just say I fell off the horse. So now I'm getting back in the saddle. I didn't plan to fail but without a plan I did fail. So now I am coming up with a plan. It's funny how when you're disciplined everything seems to fall in line... you drink your water, eat well, exercise, get sleep. But somehow when you don't sleep, you eat more sugar, stop drinking water... It just all falls apart. The good thing is I realize how much my perfectionism plays into this. I was so upset that I missed a couple of days of journaling what i ate and drank that I decided to just not mess up my book by not having it in order... that I just stopped journaling. Crazy me. I'd rather have a messy journal than a messed up plan... But anyway....

Oh man. I didn't eat great this past week. a combination of not drinking enough water... eating sugar which triggered more eating and especially craving sugar.... and pure exhaustion. I didn't get to go to a WW meeting because I was busy on Friday taking Samuel to radiation and then CHKD. So I need to go get weighed and see what the "damage" is. I don't even feel motivated to change. I just want to eat sugar and sleep. I'm so tired and so emotional and weary. It's hard to fight my feelings. It's hard to take time for myself. No chance to exercise. Blah blah blah. Well, today is a new day. And this is the point of WW... it's there to help keep me accountable and encourage me to change and learn moderation and discipline. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle. And this is my reality... there will be ups and downs and it's OKAY!!! So, to get back on the horse...

So, I'm down a total of 7.6 pounds. That's a 5 pound bag of sugar and 2 POUNDS of BUTTER! Whew-hoo! The weight doesn't seem that much but it's the way that my clothes are fitting that gets me excited. I also feel better in general physically. In addition I'm learning how to have treats and enjoy food in moderation. I'm just feeling more mindful of what's going in my mouth. I've started back to Zumba at the Y... and I'm loving it! I made blueberry muffins with a Fiber One Mix and bulked it up with extra blueberries. Everyone loved them! They were super yum while still being super good for you!

A good day for following my new lifestyle. I even had a date with Mike and was able to plan how to use my points to the best advantage! Yay! I popped popcorn before we went to the movies. I had some clementines an apple and popcorn to get me through my desire to munch while I watch. I even had a McD's icecream cone... I don't feel deprived and I don't feel out of control with my eating. It's very nice.